PULLMAN, Wash. -- It wasn't pretty, but it was a win for the Wisconsin women's basketball team Sunday afternoon at the Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash. The Badgers pulled out a 52-44 victory over Washington State, scoring eight points in the final 1:21 to secure the win.

Fast Facts

 Wurtz scores final five free throws to secure the win

 Paige records third-straight double-digit scoring performance

 Rochel posts 11 points and eight rebounds

After a slow first half, Wisconsin (2-1) returned to the floor for the second half and scored the first eight points to take a 13-point lead, 30-17, just over three minutes into the half.

Wisconsin extended its lead to 18 twice, , including at 39-21 with 10:46 to go, before Washington State (1-3) began a comeback.

The Cougars went on a 23-4 run to take a 44-43 lead with 1:37 remaining.

The Badgers didn't panic especially Morgan Paige, who sank two free throws and made a layup to give Wisconsin a 47-44 leads with 41 seconds to play.

Five free throws by Taylor Wurtz in the final 24 seconds secured the win for Wisconsin.

Wurtz scored all 13 of her team-leading points in the second half, going 5-for-5 from the line. Paige finished with 10 points, while Cassie Rochel came up big with 11 points and eight rebounds before fouling out.

For head coach Bobbie Kelsey, Rochel's performance was a long time coming.

"She was big and we've been waiting on this for a year and a half," Kelsey said of Rochel. "I told her I don't care if she misses a hundred shots, just try to shoot the ball, try to score. And she did that. She did a great job tonight."

UW finished the game 19-of-63 (30.2 percent) from the field, shooting 3-of-21 (14.3 percent) from beyond the arc. The Badgers posted an 11-of-12 (91.7 percent) performance from the free throw line.

Washington State was 15-of-55 (27.3 percent) from the field, didn't record a 3-pointer (0-for-8) and was 14-of-22 (63.6 percent) from the free throw line.

The Badgers won the battle on the boards, outrebounding WSU 51-37, including 19 offensive boards. AnnMarie Brown shared game-high honors with Rochel, pulling down eight boards.

Wisconsin also dished off 14 assists, led by four from Paige, while Washington State had just five dimes. The Badgers turned the ball over 22 times with the Cougars tallying 12 steals. UW forced 20 WSU turnovers, including 11 on steals.

Wisconsin returns home to the Kohl Center for two games next week, but continues the trend of west coast opponents. The Badgers host Washington on Wednesday at 7 p.m., before taking on Evansville on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Purple Aces are coached by former UW assistant coach Oties Epps.